Bourdais: Traffic Management Will Dictate Indy Outcome

Sebastien Bourdais believes that managing traffic interaction between the GTP class cars and slower prototypes will be a significant factor in determining who comes out on top in the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Indianapolis for the first time since 2014 this weekend, with a race that features all five categories.

Action Express Racing was victorious the last time the series raced on the circuit, with Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi claiming their second of three race wins en route to the title in their Coyote Corvette DP.

Bourdais, who teamed with Barbosa and Fittipaldi that season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, expects that the track’s nature will present unique challenges for the faster prototypes in their attempts to manage traffic.

“It’s very much a one-groove racetrack and every time you have to get out of that groove – and you will have to – it will make it really difficult,” said Bourdais.

“Marbles build up really fast, so for us in the GTPs not being than much faster than the LMP2s and certainly not being any faster in the braking zones, the interaction is going to be quite tricky and will decide the race. How easily your car gets to maneuver around people will be key.”

The Frenchman also commented on the Indianapolis road course from a driving technique perspective, noting that some of the corners require a specific approach to achieve the best lap time.

“Technically, I think it’s a track that is very tricky because you have very pointy apexes and you’re basically braking and shooting for a very specific point,” he said.

“Not like a flowing corner and therefore the margin to hit the apex or not is very small and critical, because if you hit the apex it dictates a very different corner than if you are a half a foot away or not.

“There is no adjustment from there and they are all pretty long corners, so I think a good front end and getting the car to maneuver around is critical.

“The place is amazing. When you enter the grounds, it’s a very special place and it brings a lot of memories. Every time it’s race day at IMS it has a different vibe.

“A lot of people are going to show up, I hope. It’s been asked a lot that sports cars come back and I’m fully anticipating a great racing weekend with a big crowd.

“This place deserves a big crowd because it’s such a big place, and I think Indianapolis being such a motor racing city is always responding well to good shows.

“We have that in IMSA right now. It’s great to be part of it with Cadillac Racing and it’s a home race with Chip Ganassi Racing, so a lot of things to look forward to.”

Era Motorsport LMP2 driver Ryan Dalziel, who raced the HPD ARX-03b at Indianapolis in 2014, added that teams will need to look for compromises in setup between the track’s long straights and technical infield section.